China's Shame Over Ai Weiwei

Without reforms to its criminal justice system, Beijing risks repeating this embarrassment.

By

Jerome A. Cohen

Updated June 23, 2011 5:04 pm ET

Before his arrest, Ai Weiwei was tireless in condemning the arbitrary nature of China's government. But his impact as an activist paled in comparison with how his April 3 disappearance into a secret Beijing police "safehouse" exposed the unfairness of the country's criminal justice system. By detaining him on suspicion of vague "economic crimes," China's leaders made him an international cause celebre whose case clearly illustrated the helplessness of any individual when confronted by the untrammeled power of the state.